Elements
by FootstepsInTheSand18
Summary: When the Elemental choosing takes place, neither Ginny nor Draco expect it to affect them. Once again, neither knew exactly how wrong that thought would be.
1. The Choosing

A thunderclap sounded violently, shaking Heaven, Earth, and everything in between to its very core. The angels looked up from their work, wondering what power could have caused this. Satan began to laugh manically, seeing all of the ways he could use this new power against all those in his way. Every single inhabitant of Earth stopped their busy movements to look up, only to be blinded by a great flash of light and have their ears assaulted with the loudest howl of wind ever to reach Earth. As the thunderclap sounded, five beings rose heavenward, drawn by two majestic figures. Each of them seemed to glow with some divine power. These five people rose gracefully to land on their respective clouds, not knowing, not even guessing, that their mortal lives would never be the same.

A beautiful woman with an olive skin tone, black hair, and dark eyes floated toward the cloud which was supporting a very confused looking Anna Long. Anna was the average girl next door, with kind honey colored eyes and shoulder length chestnut hair. There was nothing remarkable about her in the least. She was an accomplished pureblood witch of age twenty six, just one of many in her Chicago town. And so, when she began to glow green and float upwards at the sound of a loud thunderclap, she didn't quite understand. Anna now turned her wary eyes toward the beautiful Italian woman coming towards her.

"Hello Arcadia. I am Aradia." Anna glanced around, ensuring that there was no one else sharing this cloud with her bar Aradia. "I'm sorry ma'am, but I am not Arcadia. My name is Anna, Anna Long." Aradia smiled at Anna and replied, "Yes, that is your mortal name. However, your elemental name is Arcadia. You see Arcadia, you are one fifth of the power of the elements." Anna promptly fainted. Aradia sat on a bench that, moments before, had not been there. When Anna awakened and saw her there, she groaned, "So this isn't a dream." After a moment, Anna spoke again. "Well, you probably are about to launch into an explanation of how I got here, who I am, and what I am to do. Sorry to disappoint, but that will hardly be necessary. My mother has always told me stories about the select group of pureblooded witches and wizards who are chosen every thousand years to represent the elements, and I know that this day was to be the day. Will you please just explain to me my power?"

Aradia looked at Anna for a few moments, almost as if she was looking into her soul. She nodded once, and explained. "You represent the power of Earth. You can control most anything in nature. This means that, while humans are out of your control, you have some control over animals, and total control over any and all plants. If necessary you can protect plants and animals from all harm by forming a power barrier. You can move any amount of dirt or dust, and, if you so desire, can cause Earthquakes and mudslides. The last couple of talents may be activated by strong emotion, so be very careful. When you return to Earth, you will look a bit different. Your hair will be green, your eyes deep brown. There will be several glowing markings on you as well. None of these changes will be visible to muggles. You will also not be returning to Chicago, but instead to a secluded island in the Pacific where you will stay with your fellow elements. You shall go now." When Aradia stopped talking, Anna found herself hurtling through the sky. When she was an inch from the ground, she stopped, and then dropped.

Meanwhile, Derrick, a twenty one year old Australian man, walked around his cloud with his wand out, jumping at any and every noise. Derrick wasn't positive of what was happening, he just knew that there had been a boom while he was watching a kangaroo, and suddenly he was floating upwards with some odd red glow surrounding him. Of course, he was a well-taught pureblood wizard and realized that he had been called upon by some divine force the moment he landed on the cloud, but that hadn't stopped him from being ready to attack any being who joined him on this cloud. And so it was that Rama found himself nose-to-nose with the wand of an Australian man with golden-blond hair, a cocky looking expression, slight dimples, and narrowed clear blue eyes. Rama flicked his hand and Derrick's wand flew to the side. "Hello Fintan. I am Rama." Derrick cocked an eyebrow at the Indian man and responded, "There is no Fintan here. You have the wrong man." Rama chuckled and said, "I would hope not. Your mortal name may be Derrick, but your Elemental name is Fintan. You represent one fifth of the wiccan elements." Derrick took a step back, blinked, and recalled all his father had taught him. Vaguely, Derrick remembered his father teaching him about the Wiccan elements and their meanings the day before he began to teach Derrick the magic of the Wicca. Derrick having an element would surely explain the red glow.

"I control fire." Derrick stated. Rama nodded. "Yes Fintan, you do. This means that you can conjure a flame from anywhere, and then control said flame. You cannot be burned. You also have the power to cause volcanoes to erupt. That power can be triggered by strong emotion, so take caution. Now, when you return to the Earth, you will find yourself on a secluded island with your fellow elements. You shall also have red hair and eyes, and many glowing markings. You will appear unchanged to muggles. Here is your wand. Now go." Derrick suddenly found himself flying toward land, and pulled himself upright just soon enough to make a graceful landing.

Yama sat in the middle of her cloud with her mind cleared, meditating. Yama knew what was happening as soon as the thunder clap had sounded and pulled her away from making food for her restaurant, and when she began to glow purple, she knew the rest. Yama, a gray haired witch of eighty six who hailed from Japan, knew all there was to know about the elements. To her, it was obvious that she was to control the spiritual fifth of the wiccan elements, and she knew exactly the powers that came with it. From the ability to capture someone's soul to the ability to recall a spirit from death, she knew every in and out.

Aradia walked forward, taking in the old witch who was meditating. Aradia knew that this witch was the most prepared out of this group, perhaps even out of the last three groups as well. Aradia smiled at the old witch's lined eyes and weary mouth, and then walked over to her. "Kokoro, we must meet." Aradia said softly. Yama's eyes sprang open, instantly recognizing her Elemental name. Yama stood and walked over, shaking Aradia's hand. "I am Aradia. I know that you are fully aware of all I can tell you at this point, and so I won't bore you by attempting to explain it. Simply know that, from this point forward, your eyes shall be purple. Your hair would be purple as well, but as it has already changed with age, this cannot happen. There will also be the usual glowing markings, which I believe it safe to assume you already knew about. When you fall back to Earth, you will land on an Island with your fellow Elements. Good bye." Yama nodded in farewell, and then flung herself through the cloud. Aradia stood, shocked for a moment. No elements had been able to return themselves to Earth since the first couple of groups that had ever been found; after the first couple, the fervor to have control of an element wore off somewhat and the choosing of the elemental witches and wizards fell to the back of everyone's mind. People had stopped preparing for the scenario in which they would be chosen. This group was going to be powerful, Aradia could tell that already. She floated away, wondering what the last witch would bring.

In the middle of Potions a thunderclap had sounded. Everyone in the castle instantly knew that it was time for the Elemental witches and wizards to be chosen because Dumbledore had made an announcement about it over breakfast, detailing what would happen should a student from Hogwarts be chosen. Of course, all of the muggle borns bar Granger had had no idea what Dumbledore was talking about, and so didn't feel the weight of the situation. It was the same with about half of the halfbloods as well. Every pureblood however, fully understood the weight of the situation. With the war against Voldemort looming ever closer, having an elemental on either side could very possibly sway the entire outcome of the war. Some of the other students in Draco's house, namely the ones who he secretly detested, the ones who aspired to be a great death eater, much like his father, had a yearning to be chosen. The choosing was the only topic of conversation in the Slytherin common room during breaks.

In this particular potions class, there were sixth year Slytherins and Gryffindors, as well as one fifth year Gryffindor- Ginevra Weasley. The youngest Weasley had been placed in all sixth year classes, and it was rumored that she would be graduating a year early with Draco and the rest of his year mates. Draco would never admit this to anyone, but Ginny was smart. Smarter than Granger, smarter than Blaise, smarter even than him-And that was saying a lot. Draco outstripped many wizards twice his age in intelligence, not that he ever showed it. He had no reason to strive for Granger's level of perfectionism. Oh, he had a definite thirst to prove himself. It was simply in a different form.

The elder Malfoy, Lucius, had demanded perfection from Draco on the battlefront since age three when he got his first wand. The day of Draco's third birthday had been his first ever day of training. From that day on, Draco's father would teach him something, and then test him on it. On Draco's tenth birthday, Lucius began to beat Draco for failing his tests. And then, on the summer after Draco's third year, Lucius began to Crucio him and use various other dark hexes on him for failure. After Draco's fifth year, when Draco had passed every test that his father's sick mind could come up with, the beatings and hexes were just for fun. If Draco could show some impressive bit of magic they were often far easier to endure. And so, from Draco's tenth birthday on, he had a thirst to prove himself, if only to escape some of the pain. However, not once through all of this did Draco ever consider taking the Dark Mark from Voldemort. While it would almost certainly put an end to the torture at the hands of Draco's own father, it would never be an option for Draco. Contrary to popular belief, he hated harming innocent people. He has had it planned to run away and never look back the minute his father demands for him to take the dark mark for years. But, until then, why bother risking his life unnecessarily? If he ran away, an early death would be eminent. If he ran away too soon, Draco would never get to help someone. And so, he stayed.

Draco had been thinking about his plans as he brewed his potion when the thunderclap sounded and everyone had gone silent. Suddenly, he felt himself being raised toward the heavens. Looking around, he saw in shock that young Ginevra Weasley was being raised as well. Whereas he was surrounded by a whitish gray glow, she was surrounded by a blue glow that seemed to embody every shade of blue that there was. Their eyes connected as they each soared toward the sky, gaining speed every second, leaving the gaping class and the usually unflappable but now utterly gob smacked Professor Snape behind. Draco blinked, and he was on a cloud. Having expected something to this effect, he merely blinked again and then began to look around the cloud. It seemed to hold no one but himself, and so he lay down, waiting on some divine entity to come explain his element to him.

Rama floated onto the cloud, only to see a seemingly unconscious boy with white blonde hair lying on the ground. Rama hurriedly floated to him, only to discover that the boy wasn't unconscious, but had fallen asleep waiting on him. With a smirk of amusement, Rama woke the boy by yelling out his Elemental name. "Vayu! Up! We have much to discuss!" Draco jumped up, and then glared at Rama in annoyance. For a split second, Rama wondered who this mortal could be that he should have the audacity to glare at a divine power, but this was quickly replaced by acceptance. _Well, the kid has to have a pair of balls to glare at a near god, _thought Rama, and then he winced at the crude phrase. He had spent far too long among the mortals, scoping out who to choose. Rama sighed and began speaking. "Well, I can see that you aren't one for long-winded explanations, so I'll make this quick. I'm Rama, and your elemental name is Vayu. You have power over the element of wind and air, and so can cause, well, wind. You can steal the breath out of another human, and can cause tornadoes. The tornadoes may come of their own accord anytime you feel a strong emotion. You can also cause a hurricane if you work with the witch who controls water. Now, your hair is going to become even paler, and your eyes will lose any blue tint that they may have and be left with just gray. You'll also have white-gray markings that will glow. None of these changes will be seen by muggles. When I throw you back to Earth you'll land on an island with the rest of the elementals. Good bye and good luck." With that, Rama threw Draco to the island. Draco dropped with a thud, and began to look around.

Ginny had been absentmindedly brewing a potion that she had mastered in her third year when the thunder came. She had been so far into her recollections that she had been caught by surprise. Ginny had been thinking back to her summer. It had been worse than usual without Sirius there. When Ginny came home after her first year, she had needed a place to feel accepted, a place where she wouldn't get the scathing looks she had received at school, a place where she would be loved and could heal. She had received quite the opposite. The eldest brother still at home, Percy, had instantly berated her for "Falling for the juvenile level trickery" that that diary had used. Throughout the summer, he sent her venomous glares and made it quite clear that he thought her a complete and utter imbecile. Fred and George didn't treat her badly, but whenever they were around her they acted as though she was made of glass and would break at the slightest movement. Ronald had told her how incredibly disappointed in her he was. Ron had made sure to go into explicit detail all of the dangers he, Harry, and Hermione had had to go through in their own first year to stop Voldemort, and then asked her how she could possibly risk undoing all that they had done. After that, he had refused to stay in the same room with her. At meal times he would demand her eat in her room, and, being the youngest, she always had to do what he asked of her. And so she would skip meals, just to be saved the humiliation of having to take a plate up to her room and eat alone. Most days she would go out to the garden for the hours before and after meals. If she ever ate, it would only be a piece of fruit, or a peanut butter and Jelly at the most. She began to lose weight. Her own father seemed to be completely afraid of her. When she was in the room, he would go pale and start to shake, and usually make an excuse to leave if she didn't leave first. Out of all of this though, her mother was the worst.

Molly would glare at her whenever she was within her range of vision. If Ginny was in earshot, she would mutter about how disappointing it was that her only daughter had to turn into a freak, and how she couldn't believe that she had raised an eleven year old death eater. Whenever Ginny entered a room, her mother would change the topic of conversation to Ginny's various flaws, such as the way she didn't use any make-up and was therefore ugly, and the fact the she had ears like a monkey's, and then there was always the fact that her hair was ugly and garish, whereas the rest of the Weasleys all had a nice, pleasant shade of red. The most horrible part of her summer was the things her mother would say when no one else was around. Molly would hiss at Ginny that she was tearing the entire family apart, and she would tell Ginny that if she left no one would care.

And then Harry came. She had developed a bit of a crush on him in her first year, but when he looked at her on the first day he was at the Burrow as though she was Voldemort himself, that quickly ended. Each summer she would leave her room less and less, and read her books more and more. At school, she would often bury herself in the emptiness of the library and read for hours on end. She was studying newt level things by her third year. That summer was also the one when the biggest know it all herself came- Hermione Granger. Hermione would look at her with eyes full of contempt and refuse to even speak to her. When the inhabitants of the Burrow spent the summers at Grimauld Place, Ginny would absorb herself in her cleaning and spend all of her other time shut into Buckbeak's room. She couldn't go to her own room as it was shared with Granger, and there was no way Ginny would subject herself to anymore emotional pain than was necessary. So Ginny would spend her days shut up with Buckbeak, reading books four and five years ahead of her schooling. Since she was at the Black house, many of these books contained dark magic. After her second summer there, Ginny felt that she was on par with the majority of the sixth and seventh year Slytherins.

Now here she was, brewing a potion without even having to think about it, when the thunder clap struck and she was, with a startled gasp, lifted toward the clouds. Ginny had read multiple books upon elemental witches and wizards. She had known that, since she was a pureblood, she had a chance of being chosen, and knew all about the powers that came with each element, as well as the side effects, such as the glowing markings and the new hair and eye color. However, Ginny hadn't really considered that she may be chosen because she didn't think a divine force would choose a fifteen year old girl. As it was, Ginny was being lifted into the air, and she was glowing blue. So she had control of the water element. She looked over, and was startled to see that Draco was also rising, although he was glowing a whitish grey color. It would seem that he had wind and air. Their eyes connected, and they maintain eye contact until it was time to go to their cloud.

Ginny paced back and forth over her cloud. Obviously she was going to use her power against Voldemort, but what would happen if the other four chose otherwise? Ginny shuddered at the thought. Just then, a beautiful Italian woman floated over to her. Ginny stopped pacing and turned to her. "Hello Naida. I am Aradia." The woman said kindly. Ginny wasn't surprised in the least to have been addressed by her elemental name. "I assume that you have come to explain the power of the Elements to me?" Ginny asked. When Aradia nodded, Ginny went on. "Well, I shall save you the trouble. I control water, I can freeze it, melt it, make it rain, conjure it, steal another human's water, and all of these powers can be activated by emotions. If I work with the Air and Wind wizard I can make a hurricane. When I return to Earth my hair will be blue and my eyes, teal. I'll have glowing blue markings all over me and muggles won't see any of it. Now where are you going to send me?" Ginny finished in a bored voice. "You will be sent to an island in the Pacific. Good luck." Aradia replied after opening and closing her mouth a few times, and even then her eyes were wide. Ginny felt herself falling, and straightened herself out so as to make a graceful landing.

Aradia floated to Rama. "This group will be a powerful one," she proclaimed. "I can feel it." Rama nodded in agreement.


	2. Love?

Ginny walked down to the island, momentarily seeing no one. In a split second the other four elements became visible to her, and going off of their looks of surprise, they had been unable to see anyone else until just recently. Ginny took in each person individually. Sitting cross legged near the ocean was a woman with hair the color of the first grass of spring and eyes that were warm and seemed to draw Ginny towards her. Ginny surmised that this woman had control of the Earth element. Next to the Earth witch was a young man with a cocky grin and dimples who had eyes only for the Earth witch. This man was obviously in control of the fire element because, apart from the fact that his eyes gleamed red, his short hair seemed to move and change just like fire; if she hadn't know better, Ginny would have said that his head _was_ on fire. About halfway between the ocean and the beginnings of a jungle was an old woman with hair turned gray from age that had her eyes closed while maintaining a complicated looking yoga position. Ginny felt sure that, had she tried it, she would have torn some muscles and broken more than a few bones. As her eyes were closed, Ginny had only the ever changing glowing markings that adorned her arms, just as they did everyone else's. They glowed purple, which showed Ginny that this woman was in control of the spiritual element. Ginny smirked. Of course it would be the one meditating and doing yoga at the same time. Ginny turned to the last wizard. Draco Malfoy, tormentor of Gryffindor house. While Malfoy had never spoken to her, meanly or kindly, she didn't expect to be treated any differently from every Gryffindor. When her eyes met his yet again, all that was there was a cold gray. She turned away, blinking sadly. Ginny had been hoping that, for one time in her life, she would have an ally, but it would appear not. If Ginny had just looked to Draco for a moment longer, she would have seen the inner torment and pain held there.

After taking a shaky breath Ginny turned back. She hung her head and sat, not knowing how to handle new people who would, undoubtedly, treat her just as everyone else in her life had. To her immense surprise, Malfoy walked over to her and lifted her chin with one of his fingers and looked once more into her deep, constantly moving eyes. Try as she might to hide it, Draco could see the suffering there, and his eyes softened. Draco would never know why he did it, though in the future he would be exceedingly grateful for it. For a few seconds, Draco let little Ginevra Weasley past his barriers and walls. For the first time in his life, Draco felt that there was someone who understood. He felt that, finally, here was someone whom he could help.

The other three silently watched this exchange between the witch and wizard who obviously knew each other. Yama looked on with a small sad smile, recognizing the first sign of love, which was complete understanding. Yama remembered the first time she had looked at the love of her life like that, over sixty years ago, the very day before he died. When her eyes began to tear up, she blinked rapidly and turned back to her yoga. Derrick and Anna simply looked at the pair and shrugged, then turned and began introducing themselves. After the usual pleasantries, and well as some light flirting, they walked over to Yama to repeat the process (minus the flirting).

Ginny watched as the normally cold as ice eyes melted, showing her pain the likes of which no one should ever know. Draco was obviously not the pampered rich boy she had always assumed him to be. She gave him a tentative smile, then stood and walked with him to the other three, each standing a little closer to the other than was strictly necessary, neither noticing. Even if one of them had noticed, neither would have cared.

When Draco and Ginny walked over, Yama smiled kindly and introduced herself. "Hello, I'm Yama. Kokoro, if you wish to call me by my elemental name. I control the spirits, as I can see Ginevra already knows. And, you must be Draco? Well, it's very nice to meet you." Yama then pulled the both of them into a firm hug. Derrick then stepped forward. With a cocky smile, he introduced himself. "I'm Derrick, I got fire. I'm assuming you got water?" he said, looking Ginny up and down, and then following up with a wink. Draco slid closer to Ginny and glowered at Derrick. "Yes she does, and I've 'got' air." Draco's grey eyes swirled, and a gust of wind blew at Derrick. Ginny, surprised at Draco's reaction, said nothing but looked at him rather oddly. Derrick took a step back, while Yama shook her head sadly. Anna merely looked amused and raised an eyebrow. Anna decided that the tension was getting a bit thick and said, "Well, sorry to interrupt your happy little moment, but I still haven't introduced myself. I'm Anna, and I have the power of the Earth. Now that we've got that out of the way, we should probably start thinking about where we're going to sleep. Look, it's getting dark already!" And, sure enough, the sun was sinking.

The group walked around the island until they found a little chalet. Walking inside, they found a comfy little living room with two overstuffed armchairs and a sofa that was begging to be laid on. However, it had been a long day for all of them, and so after a quick tour of the bathrooms (three of them), the homey little kitchen, and the dining room with a cute little square table, the entire group set out to find the bedrooms on the second floor. As they looked into each bedroom, one person would inevitably go in and flop on the bed, thereby claiming the bedroom as their own. Finally, the only two people left were Draco and Ginny. As they approached the next door, Ginny grabbed Draco's arm and stopped him from opening the door. She kissed him on the cheek, whispered "Thank you," and then walked down to the last door, her door, and walked in without a backwards glance.

Nearly every fiber of Draco's being told him to go after her, grab her, and kiss her soundly, but all he did was stand outside his door with one hand on the door knob and the other touching the place that Ginny's lips had connected with his cheek. When she touched him it was as if warm water had been flicked on him, but with just one kiss, not even on the lips, it was as if he had been hit with a wave. Draco walked into his emerald green room, his feet sinking into the lush carpeting. He stripped down to his boxers and flopped onto his ornately carved bed, succumbing to the pull of dreams. That night, his dreams were filled with swirling ocean blue eyes and swishing sapphire hair.

"Thank you," she whispered. Ginny didn't know why she did it, but she pressed a kiss to his cheek. Maybe she was just yearning for the feeling he gave her, maybe she was simply expressing her thanks, all Ginny knew was that, rather than the swish she felt every time she touched Draco, it was as if a gust of wind had hit her, blowing all her hair back. Ginny pulled back and strode confidently into her room, shutting the door firmly behind her. As soon as it was closed, she fell back against it, pondering what made her do that. Ginny ran a bath and then slowly lowered herself down into the warm, soothing waters. As she took calming breaths in and out, Ginny felt her eyes beginning to drift close. As she was almost lulled to sleep, she thought, _I wonder what Draco thinks of that kiss. _Suddenly her eyes snapped open and she sat straight upwards. There was going to be a lot of thought tonight, because Ginevra Weasley had just made a startling realization.

She had a crush on Draco Malfoy.

The next morning dawned bright and clear, finding three people rested but slightly tired for the unfamiliarity of the beds, one person having slept exceedingly well having been comforted by pleasant dreams, and one person being severely sleep deprived do to an unexpected development that had required immediate thought. Yama walked out to the porch, preparing to do some yoga. Last night had, once again, been filled with dreams of a lost love. Yoga and meditation had been what helped her come to terms with the loss all those years ago, and, as a rule, she performed the calming mixture of the two that was all her own every morning.

It had been 67 years ago that Yama had almost lost all will to live.

67 years that she had spent wishing that she had died as well.

It had been her birthday. World War two was raging on, and most witches and wizards from Japan had apparated to friends and family in Europe. Yama and her family however, they were staying in Hiroshima-Under numerous protective crams, preventing any and all nuclear warfare from reaching them. Lin, Yama's only muggle friend and her secret love interest, lived at the other end of the island. As it was her birthday, Lin was planning on traveling to pay her a surprise visit. He was just outside of the wards protecting Yama's house when she saw him. Lin watched her as she ran out to meet him, tears of joy streaming down her face. Lin smiled. The woman he loved was here, right in front of him. If only she knew how he felt. If only she felt the same. Yama was right in front of him. Lin began to walk the last few feet, and then stopped in his tracks. Somewhere far off into the distance there was a boom, then nothing. Lin looked to her for the last time, love etched in every feature of his face, and she returned the look with twice the intensity. A look of realization crossed his face, quickly followed by a look of pain and desperation. He knew, just as she did, that that boom signified the dropping of the bomb that they had been warned of for weeks. Yama reached out to him, attempting to pull him under the protective wards with her, but couldn't reach. Suddenly the fire was upon them. Yama watched as Lin, her Lin, the only person she had ever truly loved, was burned alive. The world around Yama was nothing but red. All she could see was the image of Lin, his skin blistering and falling from his body before he became nothing but ash. She screamed, not wanting to accept that they would never get to share their love. Yama tried to walk, to run, to sprint to Lin, to let her enter into the inferno and join him, but someone was holding her back. She screamed at the top of her lungs, kicking, biting, punching, anything to get to her Lin. The strong arms holding her began to carry her back to the house, and as they crossed the threshold, she realized that that was it. He was gone, and she couldn't be with him again, unless… unless her life was also cut short. Yama sagged in the arms of whoever was carrying her, and right then and there, she let it all go. She screamed with all of her might, filling the house with the horrible, gut wrenching sound of a heart shattered to pieces. The arms released her, and she collapsed onto the ground, crying, sobbing, and heaving out her grief. Two hours later, Yama was still crouched in the foyer, sniffling. Sleep soon overcame her, and her brother, who had also been the one to carry her away from Lin, carried her up to her room and laid her in her bed.

Yama wouldn't speak to a soul for nearly two years after that. On her twenty second birthday, Yama's mother walked into the bathroom to find Yama lying in the tub, the water stained red, her eyes rolled back into her head. Her mother had pulled her out of the tub and called a healer, who healed the deep cuts running up her wrist and gave her endless amounts of blood replenishing potion. Yama had been saved that time. However, while she floated somewhere between life and death she realized something. If she died, then she would be giving up. Lin would never have wanted that. And so, as soon as she was able, she began meditating. She cleared her mind, and she confronted her own thoughts and fears. Yama began infusing this with calming yoga moves, sometimes spending over an hour completely stationary in a position that made others wince at just seeing it. By her twenty fifth birthday, Yama was the definition of calm. She had opened a small restaurant selling her noodles, and was planning on following through with this to her death. While it may not have been the life she had envisioned before, it was life nonetheless, and she was content with it. As the years passed, her siblings married and had kids and grandkids. Her mother died of a heart attack when Yama was seventy, and Yama's father followed her due to a stroke the next year. Yama accepted that she would die working in her noodle restaurant. And then, on the day of the elemental choosing, she was granted power of the spirits. Yama sighed and continued her yoga.

Anna pulled on her shorts and ran out to meet the warm ocean, running through the waves while giggling like a mad woman. Derrick sat on the sand, watching her with an amused smile. Derrick knew it was wrong, seeing as he had only met her the previous day, but he fancied the bubbly, high spirited girl. Anna looked over at him and motioned him over. He rolled up his jeans and walked out to her, and she took his hand. Derrick was rather shocked, but took it in stride. Together they jumped over the waves, Anna giggling and laughing, Derrick maintaining a lopsided grin and letting loose a chuckle every now and again.

Anna gave him sidelong glances as they jumped over the waves. He had the cutest dimples, and while some would find his arrogance frustrating, she found it endearing. Anna then realized, with all of the subtlety of an elephant in her little apartment, that she was falling for Derrick. And she was falling pretty damn fast.

Ginny blearily rubbed her eyes. She popped some toast in the toaster and waited for it to pop up, and somehow managed not to jump when it did. She plopped at the table and munched through her toast, and when it was finished, crawled back in bed. There was no way she would be able to face the day, or more specifically, Draco, when she was tired.

Meanwhile, Draco was walking through a little garden he had found in the back of the chalet, hands in his pockets, whistling the tune of a muggle song. Draco found a bench and sat on it, resting his arms on the back of it. Draco had a smile stretching from ear to ear. He had come to a realization last night as well, but unlike Ginny, he accepted it as a good thing. If Draco was truly honest with himself, he would say that he realized it when their eyes connected for the second time. His response to Ginny's kiss on the cheek was merely a great confirmation.

He, Draco Malfoy, son of the infamous Lucius Malfoy, fancied Ginny Weasley, who, as of her first year, had had her life royally fucked up by his father. And he was perfectly alright with that. Draco knew that there was no way that he would ever have a real chance with her; the kiss on the cheek was merely her expressing her thanks. Her heart already belonged to Potter. Draco had noticed Ginny when he was in his second year, seeing her for the first time at Flourish and Blott's. The first thought that crossed his mind was that she was really pretty, but that his father would never approve. Then she stood up for Potter with ferocity in her eyes that he knew was cause only by an exceedingly strong crush. He would have said love, but at her age that could never be it. That entire year she seemed to nearly worship Potter, which confirmed his suspicions of her crush. Of course, then she had had her near death experience, and his father decided that he made a good punching bag shortly thereafter, and she fell to the back of his radar and he virtually forgot about her. So now, four years later, Draco had no reason to believe that any of this had changed.

So why was he so happy? Well, Draco felt that she was truly becoming a friend to him. Not one like Pansy, who wanted only his body, Zabini, who was in it for the money, or Crabbe and Goyle who just wanted a reputation, but for him. For now, that was enough. Plus, there was also the fact that, if she never grew close to him… ahem… romantically, his father would never have cause to harm her. Well, any more than he had before this whole crazy elemental thing. Speaking of which, Draco knew that he wouldn't have to face his father for quite a while now, and so that also added to his happiness.

Aradia turned to Rama. "It's time. Let's go." Aradia and Rama simultaneously soared down to the island where five witches and wizards were going about their business, not realizing that today would be the first day of the most extensive training any of them had ever received.

Rama glanced around the kitchen and, seeing no one, sighed. It would appear that each person would have to be sought out. "I'll look through the house if you look in the garden and on the beach," Rama said to Aradia. He then walked up the stairs, not waiting for an answer. Aradia pursed her lips as he walked away, knowing it was too late to argue. Shaking her head, Aradia exited the house, walking toward the beach. As she neared the beach she heard the sounds of laughter. Finally she was close enough to see whose laughter it was.

Derrick and Anna were jumping around the waves, laughing like school children. Anna slipped into the water and pulled Derrick down with her, splashing him full in the face as soon as he landed. They proceeded to engage in a water fight. It seemed that nature was winning though- The waves themselves were doing the best job at splashing the both of them. Aradia walked forward, slightly regretting having to be the one to break up this happy moment. "Arcadia! Fintan! Please come here.' Aradia spoke with practiced authority. The two young people quickly scrambled over to her, Anna blushing slightly at having been watched while in such a child-like position. Aradia smiled reassuringly. With a wave of her hand, their soaking wet clothes and hair dried. "It is time to begin your training. Please wait for myself and Rama to arrive in the kitchen. We shall both be there in ten minutes." When they both nodded, Aradia turned and set off for the garden.

Anna and Derrick looked at each other and then walked towards the chalet. "So," Derrick began, "Where ya from?" "Chicago, Illinois. It's in the U.S. I would ask where you're from, but your accent says it all." Anna answered. "I've always loved Australian accents," she said absently. Derrick could tell she hadn't meant to say that out loud because her eyes immediately widened and a blush began to spread across her cheeks. Derrick smiled and pretended not to have heard. They kept walking in silence, and as they reached the door, he glanced over to see Anna staring at him intently. She then nodded, as if deciding something. She pulled open the door and walked inside confidently. Derrick shook his head and followed. If he had been able to see her face, he would have seen the very manifestation of happiness.

Rama opened the door to broom after room, finding empty bed after empty bed. He considered skipping the last door, but then thought better of it. Knowing his luck, that would be the one bedroom within which sat a person. He sighed and opened the door, fully expecting the room to be empty. However, he was almost startled to see a woman sitting on the edge of the bed, deep purple smudges marring her face directly under her eyes. She wore an expression of deep thought, and he was almost loathe to disturb her. "Naida?" Rama asked. Ginny looked up at him, startled. He saw recognition flash in her eyes. She knew who he was. "You will need to be in the kitchen in ten minutes' time." Rama then turned and walked downstairs. After scanning each remaining indoor room, he walked out to the porch to find an elderly woman in a painful looking yoga position, her eyes closed. "Kokoro," Rama called gently. The woman's eyes sprang open. She looked at him, warmth in her eyes. "Yes Rama?" she asked softly. "Please go to the kitchen. Aradia and I will be there in ten minutes." Rama then walked out and went out to the edge of the jungle to await Aradia.

Yama walked into the kitchen. Anna waved her over, and Yama sat next to her. They began to talk, and Yama learned, among other things, that Anna was a successful wizarding accountant. Meanwhile, Aradia walked down the path to the garden. Someone was whistling a happy muggle tune. Aradia walked further along the path, a small smile gracing her features. There was a glint of pale blonde, almost white. As she drew closer, the features of Draco Malfoy began to reveal themselves. He appeared to be utterly relaxed, as though he had not a care in the world. "Vayu?" Aradia spoke softly. Draco's eyes sprang open. "Vayu, I need you to go into the kitchen. Everyone else should be there. You can expect Rama and me to be there within the next ten minutes." Draco nodded, and Aradia swept away to meet Rama at the edge of the jungle.

**Okay, well, I might not be updating next week. My laptop is acting up, and it's a miracle I got this on here! So, keep reading, and I 3 reviews! Don't be shy! Thanks to marinka for the great review(:**


	3. Tests, Part One

"Rama, we have a small issue."

"And what, pray tell, might that be?"

"Love."

The looks cast between Derrick and Anna had not escaped Aradia's notice. And, unbeknownst to Aradia or the two young people in question, Rama had already searched both Ginny and Draco's minds. He had done this when it first became apparent that the two people knew each other. He looked, only to find that they were each other's soul mates. He was the only one who knew, and Rama planned to keep it that way.

Aradia and Rama walked into the kitchen of the chalet, mentally preparing for what was to come. As she walked into the kitchen, Aradia clapped her hands once. Silence immediately fell.

"We will remain on this island for the span of anywhere from six months to a year. We will be training on every day, excepting Sunday. Some days we will be practicing in pairs, and others as a group. There will be elemental, magical, and mental training. To begin, there will be one-on-one testing to find out your current skill level. Are there any questions?" Aradia said this in a strictly no-nonsense voice, putting an image of Professor McGonagall lecturing the first years only a week ago in Ginny's mind. When no one stepped forward with a question, Rama called forth the first person to be tested.

"Arcadia," Anna followed Rama and Aradia out the door, casting apprehensive glances behind her. Derrick gave her a reassuring wink, which seemed to fortify her enough to go on. Rama led the small group to the edge of the forest, and with a wave of his hand, a pathway into the forest appeared. They walked along in silence, each contemplating the future. Soon they reached a large clearing, on the edge of which sat a small wooden table. On that table sat Anna's wand. She rushed towards it, picking it up eagerly. She had been so tired last night that she hadn't even had a chance to miss her wand. She beamed up at the two figures across from her and thanked them.

Aradia smiled, and said, "First, we will assess your magic. Please cast a levitation charm as a control," Anna softly spoke the incantation, and a leaf made its way up towards the sky. At a motion from Aradia, it fell. "Now, if you could please attempt a Patronus?" At Anna's words, a silvery white seagull flew from her wand. It continued like this for the better part of an hour, Aradia calling out spells and Anna casting them. After the fourth spell in a row that Anna found herself unable to perform, they stopped. "Now," Aradia began, "I'm going to use Legimency to attempt to enter your mind. I want you to use Occlumency to the best of your ability to push me out." Aradia already knew that Anna wouldn't be able to. No one had ever bested her in Legimency, excepting Rama. Aradia locked eyes with Anna and began pushing at her walls. To her immense surprise, they were proving rather strong. Aradia decided to focus all energies on one area of Anna's mind. As she used more and more force against her, Anna began using a different tactic. Rather than putting up and attempting to constantly refortify walls, Anna bean to remove them- Quickly. So quickly, in fact, that Aradia was caught unawares, and Anna slipped into _her _mind. Aradia quickly severed the connection, and took a step back. She regarded Anna for a moment, taking in the pale color of her skin which was undoubtedly caused by overworking herself, the sweat beading on her forehead, and the satisfied smile stretched across her face. "I daresay you have shown considerable resourcefulness," Aradia smiled, "And while your mental shields are extremely good, I know my legimens to be better. At any other time, your shields would be more than adequate, but some mortals have magical power nearly equal to my own. And so, the best must get better."

Anna smiled at the praise, and then her expression sobered at the mention of you-know-who. With the second wizarding war approaching, all five of them would be required to choose a side for their gifts to be used for. She had no doubt that she would fight for the light, but he was unsure of everyone else. Either way, she had absolute confidence in the fact that she would need all training she could receive.

"So, is that the only test, or are there more?"

"Yes, there are more. I would like you to attempt to grow a flower." Anna gave her a blank look.

"Wouldn't that take, like, a month or something?"

"Just try. Will one to grow, right there at your foot." Anna's eyes widened as she remembered her element. With a light blush, she stared intently at the ground, using her energy to try and make cells gather together and form a flower. Slowly, ever so slowly, a pale green bud began to poke out of the rich forest soil. With increasing speed, the flower went through each stage of life until a beautiful sunflower stood before her. With a look of wonder, Anna touched the leaf of the sunflower. Aradia spoke softly, "Now, I need you to gather a pile of dirt, and then move it underneath that tree," Aradia pointed toward the large tree directly beside her. Anna's eyebrows scrunched together, and while a small handful of dirt wobbled precariously through the air, it stopped short of its destination.

"How was I able to grow a flower, but not levitate a handful of dirt? I should be able to do that with wandless magic alone."

"Because I told you to grow a flower first, you were still tapping into your elemental magic. This comes from a separate source, one unconnected to your wand-related magic." Anna still didn't see the difference, but who was she to question Aradia? This woman was obviously far more knowledgeable than her in the field of magic. "Now, Anna, you may go. I've a fairly decent assessment of your skills."

Anna walked back along the path, wondering how growing flowers would possibly help the war effort, or help her at all. Aradia and Rama were moving along the path silently behind her, their presence unknown to Anna. When the three of them had all reached the chalet, Rama stepped forward. "Fintan, come along, it is your turn to be tested."

Derrick walked out with Rama, following him to the same small clearing that Anna had been tested. Aradia had turned everything back to its original condition in preparation for Derrick's arrival.

Rama took charge of Derrick's testing.

"Cast a simple Engorgio charm as a control please," Derrick followed Rama's instructions, causing a leaf to enlarge to twice its normal size. "Alright, now wait for a moment while I put up a few wards," Rama erected wards that would contain fire and smoke, as well as repel any people other than Derrick and himself. "Now, cast an Incendio."

Derrick lifted his wand and thought the incantation firmly. For a moment, nothing happened, and he thought that he would have to try again. Then, just as Derrick was about to say the incantation aloud, a jet of fire burst forth from his wand, blasting against the wards Rama had placed and rebounding toward Derrick. Just before the flames made contact with Derrick's frozen face, Rama vanished the flames with a wave of his hand. Derrick stumbled back, landing on the ground with a heavy thud. "_Wow,"_ he breathed. He cast a glance up at Rama, expecting him to be angry. Instead, Rama had a pleased expression.

"Well, it seems my wards have been put to good use, admittedly earlier than I expected. Not counting the first fire wizard, you are the most powerful fire holder I've seen." Thank Merlin for that, he silently added. This set of witches and wizards were up against a power with the capabilities to enslave all of humanity. "Perhaps we should begin with something more benign. Cast a warming charm if you would?"

The little bubble in which the two wizards were enclosed instantly heated to a temperature that had both of its occupants sweating. Rama cast a cooling charm, which brought the temperature down to something more tolerable. "Alright, well, you seem to be rather powerful. In the interest of keeping all major limbs, I'm not going to ask you to attempt to shape fire until you've learned a bit of control. I'm now going to test you Occlumency. I'll give you some time to put up your shields, and then I'll cast a legimens on you. Derrick nodded, and then began to work on his shields. Initially, he was just putting up the guards he was taught by his grandmother, an accomplished Occlumens. He did this with the ease of years of practice. He was about to tell Rama to begin early, when a long ago conversation with his grandmother popped into his head.

_He made eye contact with his grandmother once more, clenching hi fists until his knuckles turned white. He cleared his mind, once again, and waited for the soft pushing at his mind that indicated his grandmother's entrance. He immediately put up the walls he had spent the past year perfecting. After twenty minutes, of back and forth, he broke, and his grandmother burst fully into his mind. Being respectful of him, she pulled back into her own mind. _

"_Grandmother, why can't I ever seem to keep you out?"_

"_Because Derrick, until you put your very core into your magic as I do, you'll never stand a chance." She said not unkindly. _

Derrick had forgotten that conversation, until then. Since he was a fire elemental, his core should be fire, correct? At least, that's what he understood from the whole ordeal. He dived within himself, searching for his core.

"Are you ready, Fintan?" Rama asked. Derrick gave a nod, and spread his feet, prepared for Rama's entrance. Rama extended his arm and said the incantation, and reached forth to Derrick's mind. Rama met the first wall. It was flimsy, there, but only enough to block the most basic of legimens. He expected that to be the only wall and quickly pushed through it, only to encounter yet another wall. This one was more firm, but only barely. It appeared that Derrick preferred to work in layers. Rama pushed through two more walls, each progressively more solid. Upon the fifth wall, Rama was met with a seemingly impenetrable wall. He began tapping on it, searching for the weakest spot on which to center his attack. He found his spot, and pushed with ever increasing force. Finally, the barrio broke, and Rama thought he was through. He pushed forward a tiny bit to be sure, only to find himself in unbearable pain. He pulled back quickly, panting. After returning to his own mind, Rama sat in a nearby rock. Was that a memory? For Derrick's sake, he hoped not. He glanced down, only to jump to his feet in horror. Rama was covered in burns. They were numb for now, but that was undoubtedly due to shock. Rama quickly healed them all, and looked up to see Derrick with his arms crossed and a smirk spread across his face. Rama then realized what had happened. Derrick had pulled forth his core magic, which was pure fire, and used that to guard his mind.

"Well Fintan, I daresay you already knew some Occlumens, and the awakening of your elemental abilities capped it off. From here, there isn't much more training to be done, for only those with elemental powers themselves could shield themselves from your core. However, judging from your current appearance, practice will be necessary." And that was one hundred percent true. Although he had a smirk on his face, he was a sickly gray color with perspiration still gathering on his forehead. Rama removed the wards around them, and the two walked back to the chalet.

"Vayu, come with me, and Naida, please follow Aradia."

**Side Note:**** I forgot to list the meanings of the names and such at the beginning, so here they are! I'm pretty proud of myself for finding the names.. I spent a good two hours just looking through names(:**

**Aradia- A goddess in regional Italian folklore, who supposedly gave humans the gift of witchcraft  
Rama- The main character in a Hindu epic called the Ramachandra, was said to be the incarnation of the God Vishnu, who is believed to be the protector of the universe.  
Fintan- Means white fire in old Irish  
Kokoro- The Japanese word for heart/spirit  
Arcadia- Nature in its purest form, also a region in Greece  
Naida- Means water in Croation  
Vayu- Means air/wind in Sanskrit**


End file.
